Spanish Style Vibes.

As a lot of you know from my Summer Vacation Essentials post, I took a trip to Spain last month and of course, I kept my eye out for street styles and different trends people wore there. Everyone knows that fashion trends start in Europe and migrate over to the states so I was pretty excited to see and buy up and coming pieces.

If you're looking to go to Spain and want to take advantage of the shopping, go towards the end of June because the sales are ridiculous! I had no idea my trip would overlap with the biggest sales of the year, but it did and I'm not complaining! Pieces I found that were normally 60€ I found for 20€ and that roughly rounds out to about $22.50. Anyway, I was really inspired by some of the really cool things the locals were wearing and I searched high and low for similar pieces in both local stores and chain stores like Zara and Mango.

I didn't know this until recently but some chain stores like Zara sell different items of clothing in different cities, even locally! So you wouldn't necessarily find the same stuff at a Zara in Costa Mesa that you would in Beverly Hills. The clothing is tailored to the area; you'd find more beachy styles in a Zara in Orange County and more flashy and metropolitan styles in Hollywood. The same is with those in Barcelona.

I found a lot of neat things but this dress has to be my favorite. Its sequins are so meticulously sewn and have a ton of movement so you aren't constantly itchy. You can move the sequins around with your hands and it creates a nice two dimensional look. Best part is I got it for a steal at 20€!

As much as the sales at the chain stores were too good to pass up, I really wanted to steer away from them and shop at local stores. I wanted unique pieces that would be quintessential to Spain and nowhere else. The first thing I noticed was that everyone and their mothers...and I'm not joking about this...were wearing these leather sandals...

When I say everyone, I mean that literally. I even saw a ton of men wearing them. It's a really good sandal for summer and its made with real Spanish leather. Interestingly, the bottom sole is made of rubber and it kind of looks like it was made from old tires. I actually kind of like the recycling aspect of these shoes. But anyway, with these shoes it was easy to blend in with the locals, in fact, it was like step 1. All for a grand total of 12€, which is such a good price for real leather.

When I was in Madrid, a big aspect of their shopping was vintage stores. There were a ton of them all over the city with clothing and accessories ranging from the 60s to the 90s. It was so awesome! I trekked into a few of them and found this super cool Spice Girls concert tee that immediately brought me to nostalgia of my childhood.

I also got these platform metallic shoes in Madrid, which I noticed a lot of locals wearing too. The platforms make the shoes so comfortable and they also remind me of the 90s. I've paired the tee and the shoes together to complete a 90s look!

My absolute favorite thing I got was an amazingly adorable mini backpack from Barcelona! I actually saw this backpack in the window of a local purse store on my way to meet up with my brother. I knew I was going to be late if I stopped to buy it so I just took a picture of the store and figured I'd go back to buy it after meeting up with my brother. I did just that, but by the time I got there and asked for the bag, the owner told me it was their last one and they had sold it! I really couldn't believe my luck. With a little talking in my broken Spanish, the owner told me they were going to get a new shipment of them but I was going to be in Madrid when it did. He graciously agreed to put one on hold for me until I returned to Barcelona to catch my flight back home. Amazing! The struggle was real to get this backpack but it was totally and completely worth it, especially at its cost of 20€.

Me channeling my inner gangster watching Ice Cube at Hard Summer Music Festival.

I had so much fun people watching and finding cool new street styles in Spain and I'm really excited to bring some of those styles back with me and share them with you. I can't wait until some of these styles start appearing in our local stores.

Dolce Vita for Target.

Dolce Vita has always been a leader in trendy shoe wear and I've always loved their designs, but sometimes, their costs can be a little pricey. There's nothing worse than seeing a shoe you love and finding out it costs more than what you can afford! That's why I am so excited that Dolce Vita has collaborated with Target to bring a line of shoes and even more excited to see that this less expensive shoe line has pieces that are extremely similar to DV original designs! There are a lot of same details and patterns in the DV for Target line so you can snag a super cool style for prices you'd never see from DV.

I copped these beauties for a cool $25! I love the style of these sandals and the modern zig zag print.

I never really liked mixing black with tan/brown colors, but I like the juxtaposition of the black and white print with the tan heel.

There are so many styles from sandals to booties! Here are the DV for Target shoes compared to the original Dolce Vita designs. Click any of the photos to shop the looks now!

Sandals 


        

DV For Target, $22.99
Dolce Vita, $90.00


Netted Design

DV For Target, $24.99
Dolce Vita, $200.00


Nya vs Noa Booties

                    

DV For Target. $34.99
Dolce Vita, $160.00



Fringe Booties

                 

DV For Target, $37.99
Dolce Vita, $200.00

Republique.

I love everything about France, especially the cuisine. So when I heard about Republique and its French inspired bakery and architecture I knew I had to see it for myself. I came here for lunch with my brother and was immediately mesmerized by the rows and rows of pastries next to the cashier.

After ordering our lunch (and a bunch of pastries), we sat at our table, which was lit by the sun beams coming in from the skylight windows from above. It was a bit of a cold day, but the natural lighting made it feel like we were sitting outside.

The design and decor of the restaurant also was reminiscent of Paris and some of its Gothic architecture.

I'm a sucker for glass door refrigerators. I love seeing the products available at restaurants!

When our food was brought to us, I couldn't wait to start eating. I know it was lunch time, but Croque Madame's are one of my favorite French treats and I couldn't resist. Meanwhile, my brother ordered a burger that had dry aged beef. The drinks vary each day based on seasonal items available. We ordered a delicious grapefruit lemonade. The Croque Madame, by the way, was spot on!!

I was loving this wine tower where the bottles were used serve us water.

I have this thing with floors and their beauty. I was loving this green, white, and black tile!

We took our yummy pastries home to enjoy. My favorites were the glazed and chocolate donut like bombolinis. Pictured are also a chocolate bundt cake, banana Nutella croissant, and a coffee cake.

Spring 2015 Fashion.

Even though it's March, it still feels a lot like winter! But fashion doesn't stop for the weather. Spring fashion this year is on full blast and I'm here to give you all my tips on 2015 springtime trends.

Spring is usually about florals, but how cliche is that? I'm giving you the ultimate fashion forward trends seen from New York Fashion Week, observed street style, and new arrivals in stores. I've scouted these trends at affordable prices so even the thriftiest of fashionistas, like me, can strut their springtime style.

1. Bucket Bags. Bucket bags are all the rage this season. I've seen them everywhere from Forever 21 to Old Navy, but I'm really loving this Vince Camuto Lorin Drawstring Tote available at Nordstrom. 

2. Sleeveless Turtleneck Dresses: It's spring, but the weather is still a little cold so sleeveless turtleneck dresses are the perfect medium to both keep a little warm and cool off. Plus, they are so chic. I found this cute burgundy one available at Miss Selfridge.

3. Jelly Shoes: The 90's are back with this trend! Jelly shoes are super adorable and having them in a bright color makes them vibrant and fun for a nice brunch outing. These pink jelly sandals are a perfect example and they are available at Top Shop.

4. Beachy Waves: Effortless loose waves are in over perfectly coiffed hair nowadays and TRESemme's Perfectly (un)Done sea foam spray gives the perfect wavy hairstyle and is available at most drug stores and Ulta.

5. Chunky Chains: I'm really into this Diana Broussard inspired chain necklace. I actually fell in love with it while watching Kristen Taekman on the Real Housewives of New York! This necklace can be found at H&M.


6. Brightly Muted Nail Polish: These might seem like two contradicting words, but here's what I mean by it...pastel colors are a staple of spring, but to amp up the volume this season, use bright colors that have a muted undertone like this OPI Is Mai Tai Crooked peachy orange color. OPI's new Hawaii collection has nail polishes with the perfect brightly muted colors.



Happy shopping, followers!

Louis Vuitton Series 2.

Louis Vuitton installed a non traditional exhibit displaying their Spring 2015 line in LA and I went to check it out with my best friend, Natalie. It was so fabulous! It's a sequel of the Series 1 exhibit. The exhibit displayed the past, present, and future of Louis Vuitton. The past being some original LV trunks and other relics from the early 1900s. The present was represented by the new Spring collection that is being released. The future was represented by the future of fashion with new runways concepts.

The exhibit began with a description of what it was all about and mesmerized us into it...

Then we walked into the future of the runway. A runway lit up by spotlights and surrounded with mirrors. All the while, a looping video of a waxing and waning moon were displayed along with models reading the Series 2 description.

Exploring the lights of the runway. 

Natalie on the moon!

Then off to a short holographic presentation on the history of the LV trunks.

In the next room, there were three videos playing on how different items are made. One on a pair of boots, one on a clutch, and one on a dress. They were each 45 minutes long so I only stuck around to watch the video on the making of the boots. It was so crazy to see the meticulous detail that is put into the work. It's pure artistry. Watching the video made me actually want to spend my money on those shoes. While I couldn't capture the video, these are some highlights of it.

And here is the final product! These boots are part of the Spring collection. It was in the next white room of the exhibit where various products were displayed on white manikins.

An original Louis Vuitton catalogue from 1927. 

These were stickers that were free to take. Each sticker is an image that is on a fabric print of one of the Spring 2015 dresses.

A room full of Louis Vuitton posters and advertisements!

And our last stop to the backstage room where the backstage of a runway show is simulated. Racks of outfits with models' names and accessories tables. It took everything I had not to want to steal some of the accessories!

How could you not love all these and want to buy them all after seeing them? I wish I went to the exhibit sooner so I could have written this post before it closed, but because of the popularity, I'm sure events like this will be coming around to LA again. Happy shopping!